The present invention relates to a touch responsive display unit and a display method used for a terminal device of a stand alone type or a portable type.
In recent years, use of terminal devices has spread to various industrial fields. For example, automatic teller machines (ATM) have been installed at banks or the like, and ticket-vending machines and map guiding machines have been installed at stations, thereby enabling parts of work to be handled by the terminal devices at the banks, stations and the like. Even at stores such as fast-food restaurants, terminal devices may be used for processing orders of goods (e.g., JP-A-5-216587). Further, terminal devices for receiving contents delivered through a communication network such as Internet, terminal devices for web browsing, and the like have been realized or presented.
Such a terminal device includes a display (display unit). Various operations described above can be carried out by operating input unit such as a keyboard while referring to information such as a message displayed on the display screen. Now, a touch responsive display unit has been made available, which can carry out various operations by providing the display screen with a function as input unit, and operating the screen according to a message, a menu or the like displayed on the display screen.
According to such a touch responsive display unit, since operations are carried out by directly touching the display screen with fingers, high operability can be achieved, where the operations are easy. Moreover, since the number of operation buttons can be reduced at an operation unit such as a keyboard, the terminal device itself can be made compact, and installation space can be reduced, increasing freedom for installation places in the stores or the stations, and other advantages can be provided.